


In the Dead of Night

by KyluxFicHell



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, M/M, Mpreg, Pregnant George, intruder, physical assault, protective Ringo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyluxFicHell/pseuds/KyluxFicHell
Summary: Ringo is woken a little after two in the morning by George shaking him frantically.“Ringo.Ritchie, wake up.”At first, the panic in George’s voice makes Ringo think that the baby might be on its way, and he scrambles to sit up in the darkness. He tries to recall everything they’ve talked about when they’ve been planning for this moment- where the overnight bag is, the route to the hospital, the list of people they need to call-“Whassamatter?” he slurs, still drunk on sleep as his brain runs through the mental list. “The baby?”“No,” George says in a hushed whisper, stroking his bump. “No, it’s not the baby. I think there’s someone downstairs.”ORThere’s an intruder in Ringo and George’s house.
Relationships: George Harrison/Ringo Starr
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	In the Dead of Night

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for physical assault and attempted rape (no non-con actually takes place but I’ve included the warning to be safe). 
> 
> Asks are open on Tumblr @beatles-slash-fiction

Ringo is woken a little after two in the morning by George shaking him frantically. 

“Ringo. _Ritchie_ , wake up.”

At first, the panic in George’s voice makes Ringo think that the baby might be on its way, and he scrambles to sit up in the darkness. He tries to recall everything they’ve talked about when they’ve been planning for this moment- where the overnight bag is, the route to the hospital, the list of people they need to call-

“Whassamatter?” he slurs, still drunk on sleep as his brain runs through the mental list. “The baby?”

“No,” George says in a hushed whisper, stroking his bump. “No, it’s not the baby. I think there’s someone downstairs.”

Ringo blinks in the darkness, placing a hand on George’s bump just to be sure, and when he’s content that the baby is peaceful, he laces his fingers with his husband’s. 

“Someone downstairs?” Ringo frowns, but he shuts up when George presses a finger to his lips and gestures for him to listen. 

A moment passes.

And then another.

And then- a _crash_ , and movement downstairs. 

“ _Shit_ ,” Ringo says, immediately fumbling for the cricket bat he keeps under the bed. 

He doesn’t even play cricket, but after John and Paul had their home broken into six months ago, he’d decided he wanted to have some kind of weapon in the bedroom. Just in case.

Just in case a madman broke into his house in the middle of the night and tried to harm his pregnant husband. 

“Stay here,” Ringo orders, pulling himself out of bed. 

“Shouldn’t I come with you?” George asks worriedly, one hand on his bump. He looks so painfully young in that moment, and sometimes Ringo has to remind himself that George is only twenty-two. 

“Not a chance,” Ringo says firmly. “Promise me you’ll stay here, Georgie. Don’t come downstairs, no matter what you hear. And call the police, yeah?”

George nods, still looking afraid and uncertain. 

“Don’t worry about me, love.” Ringo swings the cricket bat experimentally and winks. “I got into my fair share of fights back in Liverpool.”

That doesn’t seem to be much comfort to George, who gives his husband a miserable look. Ringo leans down to give the younger man a quick reassuring kiss, before taking a deep breath and heading for the bedroom door. 

He moves slowly and carefully, tiptoeing along the landing as he listens carefully for movement. He can’t hear anything downstairs, but he knows what he heard earlier definitely sounded like someone breaking in. 

Ringo takes each stair slowly, one at a time, trying to avoid standing on the creaky floorboards. 

They’ve only been here two months. George had been desperate to move out of their flat in Knightsbridge as soon as he’d fallen pregnant, reluctant to raise a child in London. They’d spent a few months looking at houses across the Home Counties, and had instantly fallen in love with this place because of the isolation. They won’t be bothered by the press all the way out here.

Ringo is rather regretting their choice of secluded location right now.

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he wonders for a moment if maybe they were hearing things earlier. Everything seems quiet and undisturbed as he heads to the living room, but then there’s a creak of floorboards behind him-

The pain is sharp as he’s struck over the head with a blunt object, causing him to stumble forward and drop the cricket bat. Ringo knows he would have collapsed if it weren’t for the strong hands that grab him and shove him against the wall.

His attacker is a middle-aged man; mid to late forties most likely. He’s dressed in ordinary clothes and looks like any average man you would see on the street, but there’s _coldness_ in his eyes as he pins Ringo to the wall.

“Got you,” he sneers, wrapping a hand around Ringo’s throat and _squeezing_. “Scum. Taking so much and leaving nothing for the rest of us.”

Ringo isn’t entirely sure what that means and he can’t quite think straight; his head feels fuzzy from the impact. He has no idea who the hell this is, but given some of the problems they’ve faced before while on tour, he can only assume that this is someone who’s deranged. He’s never felt so terrified in his life.

“Where’s the pretty one?” the man says softly, squeezing Ringo’s throat tighter. “I’m going to show everyone. You’re not invincible. I’m going to kill you and then I’m going to rape him in your bed.”

The mention of George gives Ringo the strength he needs to aim a knee at the man’s groin, which gives him just a moment’s distraction to shove the bloke backwards as Ringo gasps for air. He keeps telling himself that the police will be here soon as he aims a few punches at his attacker’s face, his eyes desperately searching for the cricket bat.

But his assailant is bigger and stronger, and it isn’t long until Ringo’s punches are being returned. Ringo’s eyes grow wide with fear when he sees his opponent reach for the cricket bat first, and he can’t quite get away in time.

The last thing he thinks of is George’s smile as he falls to the ground unconscious. 

*****

When Ringo regains consciousness, his head is throbbing painfully.

He has no idea how long he’s been out, but it must only be a few seconds because he can hear his attacker’s footsteps on the stairs.

_George_.

Ringo pulls himself up, ignoring the blood on his head and on the floor, and the next thing he hears absolutely chills him to the bone.

“ _RICHAAAAAARD!_ “

It’s a scream. A pure, terrified scream.

Ringo has never heard George scream like that before, and he never wants to hear George scream like that again. George only ever calls Ringo _Richard_ when he’s angry or frightened, and Ringo doesn’t want to imagine what’s going on upstairs as he scrambles for the cricket bat and pulls himself to his feet.

His head is throbbing and his whole body aches, but that doesn’t stop him from sprinting up the stairs two at a time, as fast as his legs can take him-

When he makes it to the bedroom, he finds the attacker already on the bed, pinning George to the mattress and leering over him-

Ringo sees _red_. He’s blinded by rage and he wastes no time in swinging the bat in the direction of the man’s head, again and again until he buckles, and Ringo shoves his limp body onto the floor, giving him a forceful kick for good measure.

George has tears on his face but otherwise looks unharmed, and thankfully it seems as though Ringo made it just in time.

“You alright?” Ringo asks, immediately pulling George into his arms. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine. We’re fine.” George’s voice is trembling as he touches Ringo’s temple. “You’re bleeding.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Ringo kisses George’s cheek and brushes a tear away with his thumb. “I’m alright.”

“I thought you were dead,” George whispers, his eyes wide and shining. “When he came in here...I thought he’d killed you.”

“Nah,” Ringo says softly, trying to keep the tremble from his own voice. “Takes more than a madman to kill me.”

He holds George until the police arrive, trying not to think about what would have happened if he’d arrived just a few minutes later.


End file.
